News & Press Releases

“Any new square footage that comes to the market is welcome,” said Matthew Hubacher, research director at Invest Buffalo Niagara. “In our business, the old saying goes, no product, no project. If you don’t have an existing building of the size that companies require, we’re going to continue to miss out on deals.”

Led by the University at Buffalo (UB) – a hub of research, collaboration, and scientific discovery – and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), the region is a leader in the life sciences sector. 150+ companies and 9 member institutions on BNMC’s multi-anchor campus employ ~16,000 people.  4th in the U.S. for per-capita percentage of life sciences workers.

Buffalo and Western New York are rapidly becoming a destination of choice for film and television producers. In the past two years alone, more than 110 productions have been completed, are in-progress or have been announced, including Nightmare Alley, Marshall, and A Quiet Place 2. Tax incentives tell just a part of the story. Over the years the area has developed a sizable film production infrastructure and is still growing.

“I think all of its kind of playing its way out to really help Buffalo here in the years ahead,” said Randy Harris, CEO of Lighthouse Technology Services, a local tech staffing and services firm.

“Mechatronics” is an emerging field that combines mechanical, electrical and computer engineering skills to produce workers who can slide right into advanced manufacturing jobs at companies like Tesla, Moog, General Motors and Buffalo Manufacturing Works.

“The proximity to these major tech cities, paired with the opportunities native Buffalo residents are afforded, puts Buffalo tech companies in an ideal position to retain homegrown talent while reinforcing their teams with professionals from nearby, tech-driven communities.”

“Talent is absolutely critical,” said Rob Leteste, the business intelligence and workforce manager at Invest Buffalo Niagara, which on Thursday released a report detailing the region’s workforce needs. “You hear it all the time.”

The communities that understand their workforce and assets, and how to best utilize them for employers and residents will be most successful. These reports help us chart a path forward, with concrete, actionable recommendations.

Central to Northland’s success at recruiting, retaining and graduating students, Tucker says, is a strategy focused on catering to the needs of what he calls “marginalized populations.” For that, Tucker says he drew upon established best practices and his academic background in organizational development.

“We call our students ‘customers,’” he says. “Most community colleges don’t do that. As a matter of fact, after their students pay their money, they’re basically just a number.” Not so at Northland.

“What we’re doing,” he says, “is embedding wraparound services with our delivery of technical training. Those wraparound services include assistance with transportation, mental health, food, housing and childcare. Those are the extra resources our customers wouldn’t have access to traditionally.